


Bist du Bei Mir

by kristallisatie



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Historical Hetalia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:22:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3099776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristallisatie/pseuds/kristallisatie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened before 1740? The story ending is known. Yet what leads to it, what is underneath it? An historical attempt to recreate the relationship between Gilbert and Roderich from 1731 to 1740.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Warum betrübst du dich und beugest dich zur Erden

**Author's Note:**

> This series is originally a Secret Santa Project dated 2014 - exactly a year ago I was asked to write a historical fanfic starring Prussia and Austria. It has been my interest to understand how Gilbert and Roderich fell in love in a historical context, and how has the dynamic changed over time. The canon does not offer much information for pre-Austrian Succession era, and since no many writers touch upon this subject, I decided to research on it. So it turns out that this project is centered during the time when there was no hatred between Roderich and Gilbert, so the gritty dynamic that dominates most of PruAus fanfic characterisation cannot be applied here. Using history is the only possible method to create a universal headcanon that explains how and why Roderich and Gilbert interact with each other. Preferably that the headcanon can be applied to all centuries, not just this particular one. 
> 
> I hope that at the end, this work can provide an insight into my thoughts about a strong distinction between nation embodiment's public and private side, how they behave differently, and how they cope with reality when both of their worlds clash, and so on.
> 
> As of now this remains uncompleted due to discovery of new evidences, and I need to find a way incorporating most of them into my characterisations. I intend to finish this, but I don't know when. My friend recommended me to post the series up here in order to motivate myself better. I need time to deliberate over how will this turn out, and your constructive criticism will help me go through this process.
> 
> The last two "chapters" are reference. For unclear historical reference, please check Historical notes. It is a collection of facts that cannot be incorporated into the dialogue or narration due to redundancy. For unclear character references, please check the Character Guide.

_He sees himself in his chamber surrounded by French literature, struggling in writing the phrase “dear Papa” each time in his letter. In his mind, his father is far from endearing. There are too few positive words that he can ascribe to his king and his father. The submissiveness he attempts to possess never seems enough to the eye of his father. The father only demands more and more, as if wanting him to be as obedient as a tamed animal._

_He sees himself in the chamber of fine gentlemen smoking tobacco. There sits his father in an austere manner, and he sees Herr von Suhm, Saxon Minister at Berlin, being seated next to him. He tries to love his father. And indeed, he has attempted a few times showing his affection. He sees himself devouring bottles of liquor and wine to show how masculine he is as a prince._

_He sees himself in this chamber doing something he normally does not do. He declares in the public how he loves his father so dearly, and he manages to walk up to his father and kiss his hands, protesting the great love of his. But his father mistrusts him and dismisses him. The servants tell him later that his father thinks he is sober and has been pretending for the entire time._

_He sees his own hair getting pulled by his father in front of several thousand men, and he is forced to face his father as an opponent, ending up several injuries for the blows from his father. He gets scoffed at in front of the German princes in grand parties, and he gets humiliated in private._

_He sees himself back in his room with French books taken away. He cannot force himself to write “dear Papa” anymore._

_He sees himself of the age eighteen and a half, sitting in a coach with Colonel von Rochow, General von Buddenbrock, and Gummersbach on a tour of Germany, with his father and Gilbert in the separate coach. He knows that it is a brilliant chance to escape, to enjoy the air of liberty that he does not possess in this current situation.With arrangements with his dearest friend, Lieutenant von Kate, currently in the palace garden of Potsdam, as well as money and map, he orders Keith the page at Steinfurth to arrange two horses in two in the morning such that he could reach Speyer in three hours, crossing the Rhine, and reaching the French frontier in two more hours._

_He sees himself at two in the morning in the barn where his travel companion is soundly asleep, putting on the French custom-made red coat he ordered beforehand. Yet Colonel von Rochow wakes up and spots him, and he is ordered to bed. For the entire journey up to Mannheim he feels abnormally tensed, and he is incapable of making small talks with anyone present in the party._

_He sees himself very soon summoned in front of his father, with Keith about to burst in tears next to the king. Nothing is said, other than his father appearing rather displeased, as he appears to be in front of most people._

_He sees himself on a Hohenzollern yacht a few days later, on their way to Bonn and Cologne via Rhine. His heart weighs more than five ton of stones when his father appearing very wrathful with his letter to Katte intercepted in Frankfurt. But the thought of Katte empowers him to speak in defiance to his father for once in his life. The next thing he is aware of is the blood gushing from his cheek, only accelerating due to despair and love for his own life. He dislikes dying. To his surprise, His father, with his sword drawn, was pinned down by Gilbert. He has long considered it impossible for embodiment of countries to defy their absolute monarch._

_He sees himself a week later in a brown prison dress inside a prisoner’s cell in Kustrin. There are no books, no furniture other than a bed and a poorly made table, and his food is bland and requires no knife to be eaten. There is no communication with any sign of life, and the closest material to any sign of intelligence is a bible._

_He sees himself three months later, waking up with news that his dearest friend, Katte, is about to be executed outside of his small window in the prisoner’s cell. With only three servants entering each day, he becomes rather agitated, imploring every servant he sees to send the king a message that he will give up the throne as the king wishes and he will give up his life as a prince, or even his life as a human if the king sees fit. He wishes the king can see him, how distressed he feels. There is a limitation to how much humiliation a human can take in, and he can only so much from his not quite dearly father._

_He sees himself confined within the walls, unable to jump off the window when his dearest friend is brought in front of him. It is too late for him to regret desertion plans that involve Katte if it involves his death when the plan fails. He screams, wailing in French, begging for his friend’s pardon. Yet Katte remains cheerful looking, as if this is just a joke, all shall turn well. At the end, he doesn’t fully understand his page who betrayed him, his generals that speak of nothing, his friend who is about to die on his behalf, and most importantly, his father who mistreats him since the age of six._

_He sees the sabre high up in the air, and he gives out the last scream, for his friend’s present death as well as his future death – and he blanks out._

—

He saw again, except there was a trace of warmth at the corner of his left eye. Someone was wiping away the tears that overflew his eyes. He blinked a few times to regain his sight, and there appeared a man of silver hair, looking rather troubled with the state of condition he was in.

“The dream’s still haunting you? I guess that can’t be helped. Tsk. That stuff doesn’t fade away when we want them to be.” 

"I-I thought I am not allowed to have visitors of any kind.” The nineteen-year-old boy curled up, clearly intimidated by the man’s presence.

“No, Fritzchen. I will be the first, hopefully your last.” Gilbert offered the younger a crooked smirk.“Not that I really want to see you again here.” He spoke in a tone of satirical uncertainty, and performed a ceremonial bow.

“Also, nice to see that your German has improved,  _Ihre königliche Hoheit_.”


	2. Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid

Küstrin, Brandenburg.

11th April, 1731.

Desolated roads, withering grasses that failed to reflect the liveliness of spring, and horses from the nearby villages that were not taken good care of. Those were the elements of this small journey Gilbert Beilschmidt, the embodiment of Prussia, had undertaken for the past months.

To God’s grace, the borderless sky remained bright and blue with no rain clouds. Traversing the grassland at full gallop speed would remain effortless for the next forty miles.

Having spent his previous months travelling throughout Europe to act as an ambassador to promote the military review held in Berlin in upcoming August, traversing in various terrains became his second nature again. The nature as a ‘country’ granted him the ability to navigate the German land without a general map. Taking a deep breath, a mental map would come into sight, as if the air or the spirits had provided him the knowledge of the land without asking for permission. Occasionally, though, he wondered if this ability to navigate was not granted to selected individuals.

There was no doubt that the air outside of the court felt fresher and more liberating. Gilbert couldn’t help but leak out a relieved smile, thinking that he should agree on Fritzchen’s ideas occasionally. The court felt too tensed up, with the king changing temper regularly. He adored the soldier-king, for the achievement he had done, and for the services he provided for the wellbeing of Brandenburg and Prussia. Life under a near-tyrant, however, was far from pleasing.

Gilbert had not seen Friedrich, his very own Crown Prince, ever since Katte’s execution - or it should be said that he had not gotten enough chances to speak to him throughout the his nineteen years of life. If not assigned to make friends throughout Europe on behalf of his partner remaining in Brandenburg for domestic affairs, Gilbert was then assigned to be the severe coach of the Crown Prince’s upbringing. He must admit that he had not conversed with Friedrich to his heart’s content. The Prince’s love for French literature was one of the factors that put off Gilbert, as it did to his father. The king did have a point when he criticised the Crown Prince for not being Prussian enough. It was indeed problematic when a Prussian prince could not comfortably ride a horse for tens of miles per day non-stop.

In a little establishment of absolutely nothing but a bed, a chair, and a study table with documents and writing instrument, there laid the crown prince weeping in his sleep. That is just a larger prisoner’s cell, Gilbert noted to himself with a frown, it would make sense if the bookworm commits suicide at any rate.Wincing, Gilbert took out his handkerchief - a rare possession of his - and approached the prince to wipe his tears away. He did not expect Friedrich was already awaken by then.

—

“How’s it going?” Gilbert spoke in German nonchalantly after the short exchange, not appearing to help the prince to get up from his bed.

Friedrich spoke lifelessly and got up from his wooden bed. “Life is life, sir, as you can tell from the reports to the kings,”He let Gilbert to sit on the only chair in this little wooden house while he walked up to his desk, showing him the accounts he currently worked on for the Department of War and Agriculture. “Here is my work, if you wish to see.”

Gilbert had already noticed the work as he entered; he dismissed it by waving his hands. “Anything else you do here?”

“No much, sir, as you are aware of my lack of collection in this establishment.” Friedrich glanced at his bookshelf – still, only a bible. He raised his question monotonously. “Where are my two chamberlains, Natzmer and Rohwedel?”

“I dismissed them.”

“Is your identity known?”

“Ahaha no, I just gave them the King’s warrant.” Of course, he forged it.

The prince was filled with life upon hearing his comment, then turned liveless again until he skimmed through the luggage Gilbert took with him. “I do not suppose you brought any flute with you.”

“Of course not. Can’t let people report you because they hear music from this house, right?” Gilbert replied with a weak chuckle. He could not really laugh sincerely when his potential successor was in civilian clothing with a lifeless expression.

“…What purpose brought you here?” He turned away, asking in annoyance.

“Good question, Fritzchen. First, I need to check out how you have been doing. Second, I read all those letters and I need to have a talk with you.” He took out the letters that were addressed to Natzmer, and waved them at the prince so he could see. “Third, the topic I dislike the most – your marriage. I need to see where you stand at. Y’know- I don’t get much change talking to you in Potsdam or Berlin.”

“In regards to your first concern, sir - does it not feel liberated here?  The air of pureness, away from my father’s society?” The dispirited look of Friedrich was lightened slightly by the memories of childhood in Berlin and Potsdam, under the king’s strict supervision. “Life is undesirable here for many, but I cannot ask for more if it ultimately takes me away from my father’s criticism.”

“Your father- yeah, understandable, the usual. Got that. Next thing.” Sighing, Gilbert re-examined the room quickly and discovered a map of Prussia-Brandenburg pinned on the wall of his study. It needed a replacement because the map was marked excessively with ink to the point other town names were covered.

“In regards to the letters - may I ask you a question, sir?”

Gilbert found formalities rather annoying at times. “Call me Gilbert, and go ahead.”

“Do you have any friends, or acquaintances - any friendly beings as neighbours?”

Gilbert scratched his head nervously - Prussia had gotten a rather infamous reputation in Europe lately while having done little. “Ahahaha, why that question? Of course I have a lot of friends. I’ve got people lining up wanting to sign treaties with me to maintain the balance of Europe. Konrad and I are so inseparab—” He paused immediately.

Friedrich did not seem to be affected by his words. With a soulless voice, he continued. “Very well. I shall assume that it would not be a difficult task to acquire. Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Julich-Berg.”

The matter of Julich-Berg depended pretty much on Habsburg support - Gilbert thought and felt silent.

“See, Gilbert- Our land possession are very separated, surrounded by enemies and unfriendly duchies that will hold onto the land at all cost.” He unpinned the map and took it to the table with his pen, giving more emphasis on the eastern land by drawing more circles around the territory, further smudging the map.

“It has been very difficult to maintain, and it will always be, until the day we integrate the separated land into one by filling in the gap. It is merely a political necessity, and that must be the plan upon which any faithful minister should work on. By interacting with the local population for the last six months, I have reached the conclusion mentioned above. Here is my complete answer in regards to your question on my recent well being.”

Gilbert scratched his head again, feeling uneasy with this conversation. It was already rare for a nineteen-year-old young man would bother coming up future plans of the kingdom - it was rarer for a man, who thought of renouncing his claim to the throne, would bother thinking of future.

“See, I really don’t get you. I don’t even know if you like me or not. You mention renouncing your claim one day, and then talk about acquiring other land that requires too much political leverage that we never have.”

The Crown Prince blinked. “Ah- that is my question as well. What do you think of me?”

“I don’t have an opinion yet.” Gilbert winced and looked away. “I can’t give one anyway.”

“Why not?” The prince took a seat on his bed.

“Let’s just say it is a country’s nature to not let any human know their opinion of their present and future sovereigns.” He was reminded of teachings from other older beings. “They say it destroys the sanctity of historiography.”

Friedrich did not look too pleased with this answer, but he accepted it nonetheless. “I thought you would consider me a foppish man.. that I am endowed with a dishonest face and caustic tongue- as my father described me.” Laughing out loud sarcastically, the prince managed to squeeze out a rather wry smile. “It is fine if you dislike me as well - I can renounce.”

“Quit that, won’t you- enough of that. I am not just the king’s slave or puppet.” The man began to lose patience. “Third matter - marriage. Tell me how you think of it.”

“I thought I am to marry Princess Amalia of Great Britain. I do not have a problem with that given that I live away from my father.”

“No more English marriage, Fritzchen. We heard bad things about them and they can’t guarantee Jülich-Berg.”

“Fine then. I shall marry if my condition is met.” The prince huffed, folding his arms. “Regardless of the identity of my future wife, I want to have my establishment after marriage. I can remain a married prince if I am allowed to live away from my father, or I can marry out for Prussian benefit if my father wishes me to renounce. Anything that brings me out of Berlin.”

Now the Crown Prince finally made some sense. “You sound like you have someone in mind.”

“Tell my father that I do not mind giving up the English marriage, and I am considering-” he rose up and drew a circle around a territory south of Brandenburg. “The person in my mind is Maria Theresia of Austria.”

Gilbert did not know what to react, so he simply gaped. “Brat, do you know what you are talking about,” it did not seem convincing since it looked like a young man of twenty-year-old scolding someone barely younger than him. “I didn’t expect that, to ask a Habsburg in marriage… I have only heard of them extending proposals, not the other way around- since they inbreed. Ugh. Used to. And they are Catholic.” He corrected himself awkwardly, knowing someone would do so later.

“Yes, Gilbert, I am very certain. Anything that brings me away from my father.” Friedrich looked unaffected. “I wish to marry no lesser than the archduchess of Austria. There are simply too few women in Europe who are politically powerful and educated. Provided that they do not ask me to change my religion, I can make provision on giving up other matters other than ending my life. IIsn’t the Habsburgs, the de facto holder of the throne of Holy Roman Empire, in need a male heir to secure the imperial throne? By marrying her, the House of Austria will be changed to Habsburg-Hohenzollern, and I will become Holy Roman Emperor. That is for your benefit, as well as mine.”

Gilbert needed significant time to pick up his composure not simply because of the Crown Prince’s shocking words, but because of the exciting prospect of this idea. Marrying Austria, marrying the Habsburg - it was a fantasy that Gilbert never developed beyond his dreams, just hidden deep within his desires. He remained silent and kept imagining the plentiful possibilities with a Habsburg-Hohenzollern union. He could use his army to keep the Empire strong and safe - the Empire could regain power - Roderich and him partnering up and leading Europe -

Yes, the future looked bright and borderless. He began daydreaming until Friedrich agitatedly held onto Gilbert’s sleeves, shaking them in frustration. “Please, I beg you! My only goal is to be away from my father! I do like you despite not having spoken to you much. For that, I can do anything for you.”

Determined, Gilbert pressed his hands firmly on Friedrich’s shoulder and snorted loudly, partly to conceal his agitation and partly to make sure the boy heard everything he was about to say.

“Listen, I will go ask around. Someone I know can give out a definite answer, actually, but that it is going to take a few months, probably after August. I will let you know soon, you understand? Be good and wait, don’t rebel. The more you appear to suffer, the happier your father is going to be.”

The detour back to Potsdam turned out to be a rather mentally exhausting journey for Gilbert. The uniqueness or strangeness of Friedrich needed polishing, but the qualities were already shining. He certainly became somewhat interested in knowing more about his potential successor. But for now, the sky remained bright, and the exciting thought of marrying Austria kept him from thinking of the royal family drama back in the palaces.

Gilbert thought it was just a joke when Roderich of Austria accepted this dalliance seventy years ago; it was unbelievable that the affair had been going on very smoothly. How wondrous it was to fall in love and to be loved back.


	3. Ich bin in mir vergnügt

Leipzig, Saxony

20th August, 1731

As a mercantile city situated in the intersection of Via Regia and Via Imperii, the two most important high roads of Holy Roman Empire that stretched from Venice to Pomerania and from Galicia to Moscow, this non-imperial city in Saxony prided itself in its ability to spread both wealth and knowledge. The enviable economic status was comparable to other capitals and imperial cities despite its lack of status, and had attracted numerous scholars, such as the infamous Martin Luther, to take advantage of the geographic convenience and the budding printing industry within the almost-useless city walls.

These facts were rather enviable to Roderich, who enjoyed no major international trade routes passing through Vienna. The Protestant mark that scarred the name of the city did not leave him a good impression. It was reasonable, if anything, for Roderich to find this city detestable to his own interests. Amongst all cities in the vicinity of Berlin, the only few reasons that influenced Roderich to pay a visit to this particular city for a rendezvous were strikingly simple-

"I must be correct - the map indicates to make a left turn here at Marktplatz, then make a right turn, then-" Roderich turned the map upside down for a several times, moving his body along with each flip, which made no sense to his travel companion, who began to grow impatient at the useless act.

“God, we aren’t going to be on time for the performance with you turning around,” his travel companion, an albino with harsh Berliner accent to be exact, impatiently grasped onto Roderich’s wrist instead of his hand, and began to pull him towards the opposite direction.

“Do not swear! You earn no respect from me,” Roderich complained, yet willingly allowed him to take the lead as he scurried.

“You earn no respect from me either for failing to read a badly drawn map –  _how have you lived until this day_?” The albino laughed in good humour, pulling the other with one hand whilst pointing at the new street sign with the other hand. “I thought you have been here before. Look, silly one, Katharinenstraße.”

“Indeed, Gilbert,” exclaimed Roderich, not because he agreed at the comments from the albino man, but because of the joy associated with the destination they were about to be at. “I can barely wait to hear what the Master has to offer us today.”

Standing about four and a half storey tall, Zimmermannsche Kaffeehaus situated at the north of the Marktplatz in number fourteen of Katharinenstraße. There were two large rooms, for the traffic was great in the cafe with many ladies and gentlemen needing to socialise in the city. It was in this venue that Collegium Musicum held their public concert in the cafe garden every week in the evening to entertain the inhabitants of Leipzig… or occasionally, non-inhabitants as well.

“Pardon our tardiness, sir – two cups of coffee, please,” Roderich smiled apologetically to the waiter with his orders as Gilbert ran away to secure their seats in the garden, waving his hand incessantly in the air to signal Roderich his whereabouts. Roderich was about to take out his pocket watch for time, but there was no need since the grand bells of Thomaskirche struck six, and Johann Sebastian Bach, the director of the Collegium Musicum as well as the Cantor of Thomasschule, appeared from the back entrance and gave a small speech.

Knowing concert etiquette, Roderich scurried to the seats Gilbert occupied, bowing apologetically to the audience he happened to disturb as he pass by. “I highly doubr that you have heard of Bach’s performance outside the courts,” he flustered in excitement and could not help but whispering to Gilbert.

“Don’t doubt, I don’t think I have heard in his performance in live at all,” Gilbert whispered back, “As you know, my king doesn’t like music-”

“Ah, right, I heard that he once sought employment under one of your nobles, yet was rejected- It’s starting-!” A soprano, a flautist, two oboists, two violinists, a violist, and a cellist entered the stage, giving a bow, and amongst the audience a pamphlet of programme and lyrics were passed out.

Years of living without music other than drums had convinced Gilbert that music was unnecessary and was no more than some replaceable, expensive entertainment. However, decades spent with Roderich had forced him, to a certain degree, to learn how to appreciate music and the basic theory behind the scores. Melodies that he once considered as matters no more than a series of pleasant pitches flying in the air were now comprehended as some kind of sophisticated art form that required delicate positioning of pitches and chords.

It was also music that required Gilbert to leave Berlin to complete his personal business because music was simply prohibited by the king, who was furious over his son’s obsession with flutes. The relatively small society of Berlin did not ensure secrets to be kept confidential permanently; therefore it was a wiser choice that Roderich and Gilbert seldom arranged personal rendezvous in their capitals. There were times that he could not find himself enjoying the complexity of the heavily layered and ornamented music, but he persisted and attempted to assimilate, as there were too few treasures in this world that could be compared to Roderich’s attentive, rapturous expression during concerts.

The last song ended in a full-bodied B flat major chord in full ensemble, and audience rose and gave several rounds of applause as the performers bowed. Some guests even walked up to the stage to express their hearts to the musicians about the performance. Roderich sat there with a joyous smile and remained unmoved.

“You aren’t going to talk to Mr Bach?” Gilbert inquired.

“No, I am very content within myself,” he chuckled, turning towards Gilbert with his coffee. “I suspect that the Master recognises me; it is not difficult to take notice of a young man with an appearance of around early twenties that have frequently appeared in the audience for the past two decades,” he ended his words with a hint of embarrassment. “Well- I did… follow him discreetly since his years in Köthen…”

“What a Stalker!” Gilbert laughed out loud, clapping his hand in excitement.

“No, I am just a devoted follower!” Roderich huffed, but that did not last long. “I do have hobbies other than hunting, mind you- ah, have I told you about the Red Priest’s migration to Vienna? Remember the collection of L’Estro Armonico I once played for you? In A minor?”

Key signatures sounded all the same to Gilbert unless he heard them. “You mean the very fast piece that you played after the strings snapped?”

“Yes, that piece is my unreplaceable favourite,” the man replied rather happily. “I was going to ask – I recalled that whilst his majest-” he corrected himself immediately. “-whilst your overseer did not find music enjoyable, junior was rather fond of playing the flute.”

“It is. I think Fritzchen likes cheerful tunes though, nothing like the minors that you are obsessed with.”

“No wonder Bach failed to seek employment in Brandenburg… What a pity! One day the rejection of employment shall become one of the most shameful moments of Prussian history. ” He exhaled. It was true that Bach did not compose many sonatas and concertos for flute. “Well- it was also a pity that junior had to wail in front of your overseer in such a heart-rending manner to beg for pardon.”

“You do like him, huh?” Gilbert shook his head upon the mention of his royal family business. It was more chaotic than the general dynamic of the German duchies. “To go all the way presenting yourself and your overseer’s letter in Berlin for the junior’s pardon. I honestly thought that the grumpy dad was going to cut his son’s head off after the military council refusing to cooperate.”

“All music enthusiasts bear a good heart.” Roderich nodded in agreement to his own opinion. “In addition, trying a prince in private council is a clear violation of the Imperial code. It is worth exerting the provision if it is to save a boy’s life from a cantankerous man with a record of pulling one’ hair in humiliation in the public.” The man took the last sip of his coffee, looking around for waiters to see if it was possible to order extra; yet the waiters seemed to be preoccupied and Roderich gave up on that idea. “However, with junior’s love for everything French and nothing German, he is no longer a typical Hohenzollern, but more like a man of Habsburg.” He chuckled.

This certainly was going towards the direction he did not expect – he hid his fluster by gulping the rest of the coffee, coughing as he raised his question. “So you said my letters might have been lost during your tour around the hereditary lands – what exactly did you go there for?”

“Slowly, slowly, unless you are in a hurry.” Roderich spoke in a hinted voice, as if he understood the other’s motives. “It has been a long whilst since I scouted the land – I have a duty to ensure that the lands are developing well by visiting the individual beings. Negligence only cultivates rebellions and nothing else.”

Gilbert raised a brow and asked almost interrogatively. “Just checking – you and Ludmila and Elias and Branimir… I mean Else, you three are not married….right?”

“It is similar to saying Adalbert is wedded to Feliks and Tolys- which is technically not fallacious. In my opinion, the statuses of Erzsébet, Ludmila, Branimir and I are unequal, and therefore could not be considered as marriage.” Roderich understood that he was supposed to look offended, but he decided not to and replaced with a laugh and an alluring voice, as he understood that Gilbert meant something more than a general insult to the position of Habsburg monarchy.

“You appear to be rather awkward today, just like many unique occasions in the past. What is in your mind?”

“ _Something awesome_ ” was his reply.

This was the 71st year since the embodiment of Austria and the embodiment of Prussia had engaged in a special relationship in personal terms. Antonio and Roderich as Spanish-Austrian Habsburg, Konrad and Gilbert as Brandenburg-Prussian Hohenzollern - two young beings, both tied down in ‘marriages’ that neither parties had any wish to commit in a personal level, found themselves agreeable in a greater sense. There were moments of fierce disagreement many years ago during the waves of Reformation and Counter-Reformation, Roderich and Gilbert had not interacted much, and later they found each other prepossessing not because of political benefits, but of personal qualities.

Ever since the Little Northern War, they engaged in this personal relationship, and they regularly set up rendezvous in cities that had no little to do with their current political interests. They spoke to each other in familiar terms, addressed their duties as ‘work’, and cherished the time that they considered each other as a regular human being with emotional and physical needs that must be taken care of, but often times neglected by their rulers and their political marriage partners…

Roderich did not mind that his back was severely sore, for he had been satisfied for a multiple times, and so was Gilbert. Lying on the bed lazily in their most candid state, they held each other in embrace, extending the intimacy until they fell into slumber.

“What a pleasure,” Roderich exclaimed. His eyes were half-opened, still enjoying the remaining waves of ecstasy near his rear.

“I will make you scream louder next time,” Gilbert grinned assertively and pecked a few kisses on Roderich’s cheek, “So loud, the entire Europe can hear it, and all your former spouses can be jealous of my achievement.”

“Says the one is still tied to Konrad at the moment,” Roderich closed his eyes and replied in a sultry voice. “You enjoy comparing yourself to my numerous non-existing affairs, don’t you? Amongst us beings, it is not a proper ‘marriage’ if it is not a personal union of two countries of equal status.”

Gilbert simply smiled smugly, neither denying nor agreeing to his comment. “I do want your experiences to be million times better than your consummation, and for that I can do everything.”

“You sound like you wish to wed me.”

“I do.”

“I honestly do.”

It did not take long for Roderich’s serious expression to deteriorate into an astounded stare, followed by a casual laugh right in front of Gilbert’s face.

“ _Oh dear, what an amusing joke!_ Is that what has preoccupied your mind this evening, all those marriage-related questions,” He tried to swallow his laughter but he could not. “You are a Calvinist. We are incompatible.”

Trying to hold onto his expression, Gilbert forced out a laugh along with. “But we are- I mean, you don’t mind though?”

“It is a completely different matter.” Roderich’s laughter slowly turned into a chuckle. “Whilst it is generally true that ‘Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube’, for Protestant states only diplomacy is available as option.”

“What about- he can convert? There’s no possibility” The albino asked agitatedly.

“Are you referring to his Royal Highness, Friedrich? And he wishes to take the hands of Maria Theresia? Given her piety, I highly doubt it will work out perfectly. Nevertheless, it is an interesting thought to entertain my mind, albeit impossible.”

“A-ahaha, I see, well, that’s still all good,” Gilbert turned around, laughing loudly to cover up. “Glad to see you like my joke.”

“I do. Like I just said, it is indeed some intriguing possibilities once the Vatican has becoming more accepting.” He meant himself as well. With a gentle smile, he continued, “Politically, I can offer some excellent choices for his Royal Highness, if you do not mind.  _That would bring us closer politically as well._ ”

“Yeah, please, that would be helpful…”

Conflicts, hatred, legacies from decades and centuries ago would eventually return to naught, as Gilbert usually thought so – who could have imagined that a decision made two hundred years ago would have caused him so much distress as he embraced his lover before returning to Berlin for his duty in the next afternoon. His seriousness was treated nothing but a hilarious joke to the other… If there was anything that would cause Gilbert to regret his resole to be the first state converting into Protestantism at the rise of Reformation, it would be the glare of abhorrence Heinrich forever cast on him, and the inability for Gilbert to form a personal union with Roderich.

—

Two weeks later at Palais Augarten of Vienna, Roderich received a letter from Seckendorff, the imperial ambassador at the Prussian court in Berlin, stating that the Prussians were willing to give up on the English marriage, and had given huge consideration on Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern,  the Protestant candiate House of Austria hugely favoured upon.

The Austrian curved his lips, immediately returning to his desk and began writing.

_‘…I am delighted to see the bribe I have entrusted you with was highly effective…’_


	4. Ein ungefärbt Gemüte

**Schloss Salzdahlum, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel**

**June 15, 1733.**

“There is still time, Fritzchen, you know, this wedding was delayed for four months anyway,” Gilbert, in his more elaborated military uniform, helped the Crown Prince for a final check in the groom’s room. “…if you hate your future bride that much.”

“Indeed, There can be neither love nor friendship between us,” Frederich replied dispiritedly. “Her ineptitude enrages me, well, among other reasons,” he rested his chin on his palm, elbows on the table. His eyes were blank, casting glances around the room with no purpose whatsoever.

“I can still arrange you the _greatest whore_  in Berlin, if that’s what you want? Or even the English princess.” Frowning, Gilbert’s tone was unusually serious. “-Before you consider shooting yourself again.”

“Can you? Or I do not mind shooting myself. Give me a pistol.”

“Tsk-  _I am not stupid enough to try getting my head chopped off by the king and have Konrad chase after me with a sword by screwing the little prince’s reputation over_. You really don’t think of consequences, huh!?

“That was just a joke, Gilbert,”

“I honestly can’t tell when you are joking or not.”

“If anything, I dread of the comments, criticism, and speculation from the public when we present the bride. I do not want to hear any.” The Crown Prince winced, poking at the decoration on the dressing table dejectedly. “Once I complete my establishment, I will lead my own life without disturbance from both my father and my future wife. She will live as far away from me as I can possibly afford to.”

“ _Jesus-_  well, at least you aren’t killing yourself.” Royalties were honestly annoying as hell, Gilbert muttered to himself as he took his to-do list and headed up to the door. “Your brothers are still too young given the king’s health.”

“At least I am delighted to see that you are convinced that my hatred for the princess is passionately endless.” Friedrich regained some spirits and replied in a mischievous tone.

“- _What again?_ ”

The crown prince turned around, giving Gilbert a resentful smirk. “I have only told my adorable sister, but I shall tell you also: I do not dislike the Princess as much as I pretend; I affect to be unable to tolerate her, in order to give great prominence to my obedience to the king my father. Did you not teach me this a few years ago?”

No wonder the king was surprisingly pleased nowadays. The thought of Fritzchen’s well-calculated plot to make his father change from wishing him death a year ago to wishing him married was a miracle, if not a scary scheme. “Ah, Jesus Christ- I don’t give a damn anymore –  _whatever!_ ” The Prussian slammed the door close, as he had other duties that only he could perform.

The duty was to, as a co-host of this festivity, making sure other embodiment were well-fed and satisfied in the little social circle of their own.

While the embodiments did socialise with rulers of other countries and houses on a regular basis during large events, it was a de facto custom, dated back in ancient times, which a room or two must be dedicated to such beings if they wished to segregate themselves to conduct their private businesses with one another. Some beings found the segregation useful to accelerate negotiation process with other states, eliminating the time wasted on waiting for and discussing with multiple ministers. With the rise of the press, keeping their identity away from the public had also become crucial to prevent public instability.

Previously, the major powers of Europe – France, United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, and Russia – mandated that no secret of beings can be confided to humans. Some beings later found the segregation necessary to discuss their personal secrets away from their monarchs. Eventually, the room of segregation, as the kings and queens called it, became the venue for quick diplomacy and incessant gossip…

It was an hour and a half before the ceremony began in the Chapel of the Scholoss, and traditionally embodiments would gather for a drink in the Room before the ceremony as they were oliged to stay next to their monarchs during the banquets afterwards. No food was allowed due to communion. Just like every other palace, rooms in Schloss Salzdahlum had backdoors where the servants entered and exited without using the front entrance, and Gilbert entered via the servants’ chamber as well, monitoring drinks being delivered to the Room of Segregation. Konrad was already there, making sure the guests feeling welcomed before Gilbert’s arrival.

Upon opening the door, it was not difficult to tell that the room was populous, so crowded that Gilbert did not recall inviting that many guests. Feeling rather smug at the number of guests in the room, he ordered half of the servants to return for more drinks, whilst the remaining servants began setting up in their quickest pace. Taking a closer examination at the guests, the Prussian soon noticed a pattern. As most females in Europe, such as Annabel of Austrian Netherlands, Erzsébet of Hungary, Ludmila of Bohemia, Iryna and Natalia of Ruthenia, were not fully sovereign, the lack of female participation was obvious. In a crowded room of all men, there was a narrow passage people could pass through, and it was created by the mainly two people – Francis of France in the center left, and Roderich of Austria in the center right. Surrounding them were the beings that were loosely in their alliance. There were outliers floating around, of course, but they only constituted a minority.

Konrad of Brandenburg, a fair, blond man with most of his long hair tied at the back, was already part of the Austrian sphere – rather close to Roderich, actually, but not speaking as much as he needed to be as a host. Ivan of Russia, who had mastered in producing a rather sincere smile a decade ago, was the closest person to Roderich. They dominated the conversation entirely in French, and much to Gilbert’s dismay, they were exchanging smiles with one another. The wine glasses in Gilbert’s hand were in the verge of fragmentation until Konrad noticed his partner’s arrival and immediately came in rescue.

“ _Cut that_  – it is obviously that you are up to no good,” Konrad patted his partner’s tense shoulder to make him relax, and took over the wine glasses. “Not used to dealing with so many people?”

Biting his lips, the Prussian snorted. “Doesn’t feel good to be here.”

“Well, duh,” Konrad chuckled bitterly and shook his head, pushing Gilbert forward to the middle, between two circles. “Listen closely with your pathetic French skills.”

…

“…..C’est allez de vivre bien, de faire les affaires, fans íc mêler trop de celles des autres, si ce n’est au sujet du……”

“..Pays-là, étant certain que si on s’étoic ivisé d’en faire une des plus médiocres & des plus petites même, elle n’auroit jamais été remplie…”

“…qu’on ait fait en land of the Germans, Spain, and other places, we did..”

“I was told that Gilbert rejected the English marriage-”

"Konrad and Gilbert should be now powerful princes who can marry other European royalty in equal status-“

“No wonder Arthur isn’t showing up yet-“

"But getting the English weakens the claims of the children later-"

“Feliks is not around-”

“You stupid, Herbert is involved-”

“My dear Antonio, good to see you looking healthier-”

“So, listen to me guys, what is the point of listening to Roderich in providing troops when Heinrich isn’t around telling us exactly what we need to do-”

“I’ve got you some nice Sherry, Francis-”

“How is the little empire doing-”

“So isn’t Tolys- you’ve seen ‘em around?”

“Thank you for your concern; He is currently in a grand tour-”

“This is getting silly, I would rather everyone to settle this conversation with a fair wrestle like a true gentlemen but I doubt half of us would be okay-”

“Ah- a drink, thanks Gilbert-”

“Glad to see you, my dear Roderich, why are you hiding all your fine ladies?”

“There is nothing more appropriate than to have an experienced Pole rule Poland-”

“Send my regards to Romano, wouldn’t you-”

“I ask once again for your preference of candidates-”

“Or rather,  il voulut éprouve plus heureux parmi les Gens…”

“…nonobstant le serment qu’il avoit fait à sa Majesté Imperiale, póurroit íë mêler du differend…”

…

In less than a minute offering thirsty beings chilled wine, a gift from Francis, Gilbert already understood that those people’s purposes in this palace were far away from congratulating his Crown Prince getting married, and that the lack of women in a gathering can make men rather garrulous as well.

_Scheiße_ , the Prussian cursed to himself, how womanly. Perhaps only the Austrian and the Frenchman would enjoy the room of segregation with such a great passion. As he continued to distribute the drinks, he could not help but keeping his gaze on Roderich, who was in the centre eloquently directing the entire conversation. To him, it was an admirable skill. It all reminded him of the old days he remained stuck outside the centre, admiring the delicate art of Austrian diplomacy. That was one of the reasons he loved about Roderich, and one day he wanted to be in the centre as the focus of Europe, just like how Roderich had been throughout the years.

WIth his gaze mostly attracted to the Austrian, it wasn’t difficult for Gilbert to spot Adalbert of Saxony, a blond man with longer but untied hair, trod nervously nearby the windows and passed by the crowd, trying to make as little presence as possible. Adalbert saw him and was about to walk over with his mouth wide open. Gilbert was about to respond as well, but Adalbert hesitated and frowned, and then he decided to turn away and made himself into the circle slowly. Noticing the man approaching, the tall Russian left the centre with a smile and draped his arm over the Saxon’s back, bringing the man out of the group while casting a glance at the Austrian. Roderich also smiled at Ivan in response, noting their leave for another chamber somewhere.

The Room of Segregation turned loud and chaotic, and for a second or two their eyes met, and Gilbert knew that Roderich must have noticed his gaze for the entire time. Before he could say anything, several German duchies already prodded him for drink refills, and by the time he had some spare time to catch up with Roderich, the Austrian already left and the empty anti-French circle was replaced by Arthur, who just arrived with Herbert right next to him.

In comparison to the chaos in the Room of Segregation, the discussion and bantering occurring in the human side of wedding reception were relatively mild. The dukes and princes at the garden toasted and wished other good health in amiable terms, no fights, no backstabbing. There were, of course, some uninvited French nobles commenting on the German princess’s plainness; luckily Friedrich did not hear any of that.

The ceremony, officiated by Reverend Herr Mosheim in the beautiful Chapel of the palaces, went off smoothly with other sublimities’ witness, and the Crown Prince had fairly wedded Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern. There stood Roderich in the third row, watching the ceremony of the Protestant princess that he previously recommended to the House of Prussia via proxy. A mixture of bitterness and helplessness filled him, and he ridiculed silently at himself for the silliness and inevitability of this marriage arrangement. Gilbert, standing in the first row, also squeezed a wry smile for this marriage, but it was for his inability to secure a Habsburg marriage, and he would not understand the full scope of gossip until much later.

—-

**13th October, 1733**

**Praga, Poland**

Months were not remotely significant to the semi-mortal beings. But to the mortal, even minutes and seconds were eventful. Four months were the time between the death of August II der Starke and the delayed wedding, and also the time between the wedding and France’s declaration of war at Austria and Russia.

It had been the eighth day since Ivan and Roderich camped in Praga. Thousands of poorly dressed Polish peasants and city dwellers lined up at the market to wait for ration since the Russian troops, numbering over thirty thousand, virtually took over the town without taking a siege. In usual circumstance, other countries would extend a helping hand for Poland, but this time it was an exception - the countries were now fighting to gain benefit from a disputed Polish succession.

Once a Polish fief, Gilbert understood the dispute very well - a bit way too well, in his opinion. He did not want to know that most guests in his wedding were anticipating for some development in the Polish succession crisis, and he also did not need to know how Austria at the last minute wanted his Crown Prince to marry the English princess - a marriage proposal they tried to destroy before- because the emperor wanted England to be at their side in case of a Polish Succession War.

The inhabitants did not want further occupation of the Russian troops, and the sentiment was well reflected in Feliks’s eyes, who was currently ‘asked’ to stay for refreshment at the Russian camp. “This is my land, and I am allowed to do whatever I pleased - _including recognising whoever I want and leave here whenever I want_.” The slim man by the table folded his arms and leant against the mobile bookcase.

“Sadly, even if you do acknowledge Adalbert’s king, you need to find a way to dissuade Francis from meddling,” Ivan whistled as he played around with his pen; Roderich frankly felt that the Russian had acquired the incorrect concept of western gestures. “He is rather persistent lately, don’t you agree, Roderich?”

“He  _has been_  persistent.” Sitting right next to the Russian, Roderich quickly scribbled words onto the letter as he went along with Ivan apathetically. “However, I would argue that persistence is our universal trait. Feliks- you are not tied here; you may take your liberty to leave, yet I highly doubt you would.”

“Roderich is right.” The apathetic German tone influenced Ivan to calm down and tighten his smile. Returned to his usual stoic expression, the Russian walked over and gave a firm pat on Feliks’s shoulder. “You should at least stay a bit longer. Gilbert is on his way here; I personally think you would love to see him around. It will be an interesting reunion, to say at least.”

Feliks winced further; he could not force himself to enjoy the prospect of seeing his former fief around. Gilbert, of course, was not notified of Feliks’s presence. It meant to be a surprise, and his uneasy expression seeing Feliks when he arrived at the tent amused Ivan dearly.

“Good to see you, Gilbert.” Ivan walked up to the man who just entered the bare tent, skimming through his clothing and commented assertively. “Do you only have one set of attire? Let me know anytime. There is a tailor in the camp who can provide you new breeches.”

Feliks’s presence or Ivan’s tease were not the issues; the man who was scribbling was the problem. Marching up to the table, Gilbert slammed his hand soundly on the surface, shaking it to demand attention out of the Austrian, who did not even bother to greet nor acknowledge Gilbert’s presence during his arrival.

“You.  _You, among all people-_ ” with both hands on the table, Gilbert slammed them once more as he gave a deafening shout straight at Roderich. “-didn’t include me in your secret deal with Adalbert!”

The unanticipated affected Roderich’s composure slightly, but he recollected his calmness quickly and looked up with condescending eyes. “Is it  _my_  fault that you gave Adalbert excessive demand that was impossible to accomplish given his diminishing influence and power as a result of this succession crisis? The story I heard from Adalbert was that  _you, among all people_  who he pleaded for support with the utmost eagerness, did not treat his proposal genuinely and insisted upon more rewards. That was the reason he came for us; he agreed to our light demands  _and he is now a happy man ever after_.”

Feliks flustered at the mention of Adalbert pursuing him, while Ivan had no intention to intervene the quarrel.

“You could have told me we are no longer rooting for Gabriel and I could have asked my king to make some provision. Good job y’all, _great job even_ , isolating me in the cold-” He sneered.

“I am not responsible for your naivety and lack of tact in foreign diplomacy. I assume you have done your revenge by allowing Leszczyński to pass through.”

“Consider that done deal, you two.” Gilbert spit and turned around, yet the large hands of Ivan grabbing firmly onto Gilbert’s shoulder made him unable to escape.

“You may not leave yet,” Speaking solemnly, Ivan pushed Gilbert back to Roderich’s desk, where Roderich extended his hand with palm facing up. “Ten thousand men as promised,  _please_. Francis declared war on us three days ago.”

“What? I don’t have any to spare, we aren’t even rooting for Gabriel’s junior here. The treaty is void here.” He laughed nervously. “Heinrich is not even here. I can’t just let my soldiers go.”

“I am Heinrich’s spokesperson, mind you.” Roderich shot him a frigid glare. “All matters involving France are automatically a concern of the Empire. I have no wish to argue with you, and I trust that you are  _an honourable man_  who fulfills your previous promises.”

Gilbert understood very well that his very first confrontation against the ‘public’ Roderich ended in a failure. From the bottom of his heart he had neither desire nor motive to go against him, after all.

“……Tsk, fine….. I will get you ten thousand men as promised for the front in Rhine. Dealing with Francis, right?”

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Roderich replied apathetically as he scribbled the last words, pertaining to the Prussian guarantee he just obtained, into the letter. Folding into thirds, he placed the letter into an envelope, sealed with the Habsburg coat of arm. “I look forward to meet your men in the Rhine; you are now dismissed.”

“What the hell-” The albino flustered at this attitude and swung his arm, knocking down the ink bottle and spilled the ink on the carpet. “That is what y’all call me here for!?”

“Mostly,” Ivan replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “By all means, however, calm down. It is great to have another ally in East Central, no? Also, Feliks, I will escort you out later. Field Marshall Peter Lascy is bringing Duke Wiśniowiecki over. The Chancellor would like to see you.” The lightened expression on Feliks was precious.

—

Across the Vistula River, opposite of Praga, was the capital of Poland. Due to political reasons the Russians did not march directly into the city; yet their intimidating presence outside the city walls disabled the original guards, and allowed important personnel to enter the city freely from French intervention.  In the heart of the city stood the plundered, unused Royal palace, with a largely dysfunctional corridor that connected to the crimson gothic Archcatherdral of St. John. It was another city that Gilbert knew too well, to much of his dismay.

Pushing the wooden door open, the sun cast its orange grandeur into the church, illuminating the dim interior and the people inside it. “There you are,” Gilbert huffed as he walked in, his steps resonating throughout the church. The door was slammed shut, and the church returned into darkness, with only few candles lit up weakly at the altar.

Roderich knew it was Gilbert by voice; he did not bother looking back, just moving down a seat to acknowledge the other’s presence. “I was aware that you will look for me; nevertheless, It remains a rather frightening thought that you know me so well.” Not many individuals in this world was aware that Roderich tended to seek restfulness by sitting in a church for hours.

“No, not as well as you imagine.” Confirming that there was no one else inside, Gilbert swiftly took his seat next to Roderich.“I didn’t expect you, with all the girls around, are behind the last minute marriage proposal change.”

“No, I was not involved. I left days before Seckendorf and it was him who received the letter.” Roderich muttered at the accusation. “I did not expect you to side with the French either.”

“Tsk- It was my king being indecisive. I ain’t involved.” Gilbert hissed at the allegation, accompanied by an awkward silence between them two.

“…”

It was Roderich that spoke up and broke the silence. “Who would have expected the Convocation Sejm to forbid the candidacy of foreigners? I never favoured Saxony from the start; this was against my wish. We are quite similar in that regard.”

“ _Really._ ”

“I am speaking in front of the Almighty God who knows all.” Annoyed, Roderich ended his words by leaning his head on Gilbert’s shoulder, and by then his tone softened significantly. “I was simply fulfilling my words that were made to Ivan… I… apologise for the discourteous behavior a few hours ago. I am unaccustomed to express anger at you.”

“…Well, so am I.” An oath under God’s name was not to be treated lightly. Wrapping his left hand around Roderich’s waist, he let the other to lean closer. It was quite an anguishing experience for Gilbert to directly confront Roderich in the public, and never did he wish to deal with it in the future. “I hope this is not going to happen again. You are really scary when you are angry. Upsetting too. It makes me want to slap you.”

Roderich let out a soft laugh. “Vice versa. I had the impulse to draw my sword when you screamed at me; we shall call this even. If anything, blame politics and Feliks Łukasiewicz.”

“You’re right. To think of it… Are you sure ten thousand is enough? I can try to get it up to fifty thousand if you want.”

“That is more than two third of your army. Ten thousand men will suffice.”

“I’ll take your word for it, mein Herr.” The Prussian ruffled the other’s hair and planted a kiss on his forehead. He dared not to do more than that in a church.

On his way to the Rhine Front via Vienna, Roderich recalled what Ivan told him after Feliks’s departure for his previous Grand Chancellor. “I am not worried about Feliks, Roderich. Our only concern is the Bourbons.“

“Men seek comfort in familiarity, not in blood or constructed relations. Just like children find solace in their wet nurses but not in their mothers, and kings seek consolation in mistresses but not in their spouses.  _Don’t you think we are just as same?_ ”

Roderich later felt that those were one of the wisest words out of Ivan Braginski in history.


	5. Historical notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Bist Du Bei Mir, almost everything is historically accurate except the nation-tans themselves. To fit Hetalia characters into this world, some minor changes have been done, and this section is dedicated to provide supplementary information for you to take a closer look to actual history (and what I have done to it).

**Bist Du Bei Mir (BWV 508):** _“Be thou be near”_ . It is a romantic song about how a dying person is content with seeing his/her beloved’s hand before his/her death. This sweet song has later become a popular song sung at weddings and funerals… yes, weddings and funerals.

As you can tell, each chapter is named after a song title from J.S. Bach.

 **\- Chapter 0**  

 **Warum betrübst du dich und beugest dich zur Erden (BWV 516)** : _“Wherefore art thou so sad and bowed to earth so prostrate”_. It is a song title from “Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach”, dated back from 1722-1725. It is chosen mainly because the poem / lyrics fit this chapter fairly well. 

 **All the italics:**  The events described in the italic dream are actual accounts of Frederick of Great’s childhood and adolescence. “Dear Papa” is used in many of young Frederick’s letters to his father until after the royal pardon, which he switched to “My most gracious father”, “My Lord and my father”, etc. Getting Spartan trained since six years old, Frederick didn’t like the training at all, and preferred French literature and music, something his father really hated. Therefore it was rather normal that be got beaten up and humiliated in the public a lot. Everything you read here are historically accurate except Gilbert’s existence. It was an old general defending Frederick when the king was about to kill him, not Gilbert. I changed it for plot device. 

 **Beyond the italics:**  Frederick was not allowed to have any visitor during his imprisonment. He also mentioned renouncing his throne frequently, therefore Gilbert was not sure whether the Crown Prince would truly be his successor or not. Frederick also hated speaking German with a passion (his French was amazingly good). That’s why Gilbert teased him at the end.

**\- Chapter 1**

**Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid (BWV 3):**   _“Ah God, how many a heartache”_. The poem is dated back in 1587, but the song was composed in 1725 as part of a Cantata. The song mentioned sadness and comfort, which is a major theme of this chapter – Frederick’s sadness. 

 **Military Review in August:**  There was indeed a military review where many German princes attended, and Frederick begged to go during his imprisonment (mentioned in his letters to his father). Unfortunately, the king did not permit his son to attend.

 **Not Prussian enough:**  Frederick William II actually said that his son couldn’t ride a horse comfortably, and what a shame that was.

 **Little establishment**  – that was pretty much what Frederick had in his horse. The only book was the bible, and he had no entertainment whatsoever. For more details on Frederick’s imprisonment, please check out Generalfeldmarschall von Natzmer’s accounts on Frederick.

 **Forging:**  do you know that Privilegium Maius, the document that elevated Austria into an archduchy, was  _forged_? I wanted to poke fun at it but that seemed out of place…

 **Acquisition of land:**  the letter to Generalfeldmarschall von Natzmer was dated back at February 1731. In that letter, Frederick pretty much explained how it was a political necessity to acquire those lands he mentioned during the dialogue with Gilbert. For plot device, I made the original letter slightly unclear in its intent.

 **Marriage:**  part of the best thing about this fic is speculation of possible PruAus marriage and why was it generally so difficult for them two to get married _(Anschluss technically does not count unless you twist it)_. 11th April, 1431 is the exact day that Frederick mentioned how he wanted to marry Maria Theresa for renunciation. _(It is as accurate as the books can be_. Of course, it was a silly idea that historians tended to disregard later, but to Gilbert, the idea remained significant for centuries.

 **Imperial throne:**  As many of you know, the old  ~~sexist~~  Salic Law back in Charlemagne’s times was the reason why Austria needed Pragmatic Sanction to ensure Maria Theresa’s succession, and also why she could not become Holy Roman Emperor. It is true that the Holy Roman Emperor was an elective position, and the House of Habsburg had secured the position for centuries, but a lot of times it was secured by  _huge amount of bribery_  (like Charles V), therefore it was not always a guarantee even with Habsburg prestige glowing. The duke of Bavaria was aiming for the imperial throne during that time, so the election was not as secure as we imagined it to be. However, if Frederick really married Maria Theresa, the Prussianisation of Austrian army would make it more powerful and effective in giving military threats to any imperial challengers. Therefore Frederick was rather confident about this.

 **Daliance:**  Germans were _freaking obsessed_  with marriage equality… or equality between two partners in general. With Roderich, who  ~~was a priss~~  considered rank as some  _definite_ , it is **impossible**  for him to  ~~bestow his grace~~  upon someone of sub-country status. Before the Treaty of Bromberg (1657), Prussia was still a fief of Poland. Without full sovereignty, Gilbert was not even human technically of lower status. After the treaty, however, Gilbert became fully independent, which was later recognised by the Habsburgs in Treaty of Oliva three years later. Because Prussia and Austria were both involved in the Second Northern War, it is my headcanon that romance developed between them during those years. 

**\- Chapter 2**

**Ich bin in mir vergnügt (BWV 204):**   _“I am content within myself”_. This is supposed to be a fluff chapter, with Gilbert and Roderich very content with their love life.  ~~I don’t think they should, though.~~  This is also the secular Cantata performed during the Bach performance in the café.

 **Leipzig:**  Pretty self-explanatory here. It is the city where Bach stayed until 1750, and being a music fanboy, of course Roderich would stalk him (as well as other composers).

 **Roderich getting lost:**  I am just playing along with the fandom trope here. He doesn’t get lost that often.

 **Zimmermannsche Kaffeehaus:**  Or “Café Zimmerman”. It was the coffeehouse for fancy people in the society, located in Katherinenstrasse 14. Sadly, the coffee house discontinued after the owner’s death, and bombing during WWII pretty much destroyed the building in Leipzig. The Bach concert was free of charge, and the café owner made money by selling coffee to the audiences. (Did I know tell you that Saxony is super obsessed with coffee? Adalbert and Roderich make good buddies.)

 **Red Priest (Il Preste Rosso):**  It refers to Antonio Vivaldi, the Italian composer who met Charles VI when the emperor checked out the new ports in Trieste, got an invitation to  Vienna, and decided to leave Venice for the imperial capital.

 **Hunting:**  Habsburgs love hunting like crazy! So does Roderich.

 **L’estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 8 in A minor (RV 522):**  The L’estro Armonico series is the collection of works in 1711 that increased his reputation as The Red Priest. No. 8 A minor is one of the most famous collections out of other eleven sets.

 **Major and Minor keys:**  Roderich hugely favoured minor keys, while Frederick prefers cheerful tune (he even composed one himself later). Bach has a slightly minor key repertoire; that’s why Roderich thought he might not be too successful in Brandenburg.

 **Bach’s employment:**  We all know of the famous Brandenburg Concertos, right? In 1721, he composed that to look for employment under Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Because Frederick William I, Old Fritz’s papa, hated music with a passion, musicians were scarce in Berlin and they  _were not skilled enough_  to play Bach’s pieces. Thus the full score was left unused and then got sold cheaply later. Failed to secure an employment, Bach left for Leipzig in 1723. Since then, Roderich has been laughing at Gilbert for his awesome skill to kick out the most legendary musician in the world.

(Also, it is amusing to see how there isn’t one very famous composer originating from Berlin.  _Sure, sure, Berlin Phil is amazing_. It was founded by a band formerly under Benjamin Bilse, a Prussian guy educated in Vienna. The band was pissed and quit entirely because Benjamin _apparently thought bringing his musicians in a fourth class train to Warsaw was a great idea_ …  ~~Tsk, Berlin Phil…~~ )

 **Friedrich crying and begging for pardon:**  It was on August 14, 1731, Frederick William the Papa’s birthday, that little Fritz could leave Küstrin for once and celebrate in Berlin. During the party, it was reported that Friedrich was crying like crazy, kissing his father’s hand, and begging for pardon. Papa was pleased because that was a rather humiliating gesture his son did to himself, so he gave him a royal pardon. Between the royal pardon and Friedrich’s release from Küstrin, Fritz was allowed to have guests over, as well as some sort of entertainment. 

This fic is set in August 20, 6 days after this birthday party that both Gilbert and Roderich attended. It is approximately 120 miles / 194 km between Berlin and Leipzig. Assuming they only travel 30 miles a day (without carriage, they can travel much faster than that), 6 days are more than enough for travel time. 

 **Imperial pardon:**  Frederick’s papa, Frederick William I, tried his son in the military council after his escape. Military Council didn’t want to offend the prince or punish him, so they refused to cooperate, saying that they had no power to interrogate a prince. So Frederick William got really upset and was about to kill his son. At this time Holy Roman Empire / Austria’s boss intervened and wrote a letter himself, indicating that Frederick was a Crown Prince of Electorate of Brandenburg, and therefore his life was of critical interest of the Holy Roman Empire. It was not allowed to try an Imperial prince in a private council – it had to be executed with the imperial apparatus. That’s how Roderich used this power to save Frederick’s life.

 **Typical Habsburg:**  Unlike other German princes, Habsburgs used a lot of French and Italian in the court. German language was almost secondary.

 **Hereditary lands:**  Rulers of Hungary and Bohemia were supposed to be elective, but their Diets later approved to let Habsburgs be their future rulers with de facto election.

 **Elias:**  Hungary’s “male” name. Elizaveta is a wrong rendition. It is Erzsébet in Hungarian and Elisabeth in German. “Else” is a short form of Elisabeth in German – that’s why Gilbert opted for that name. Short form in Hungarian is “Erzsi”.

 **“Are you married?” question:**  Canon definition of “marriage” is very confusing to begin with. It says marriage is “personal union”, but if we use this standard strictly, it would be historically incorrect for Austria and Spain to be a married couple.

Instead, it would be Spain x HRE, Saxony x Poland x Lithuania, Prussia x Brandenburg, England x Scotland x Hanover,  _Austria x HRE x Hungary x Bohemia x Dalmatia x Croatia x Slavonia x Galicia x Burgundy x Moravia x Milan x Mantua x Lorraine x Tuscany x etc…_

Why wasn’t Austria married to Spain back then using this parameter? They were, only for a short period of time. After marriage between Philip the Handsome and Joanna the Mad, Spain and Austria still remained ‘separated’ until Charles V ascended the throne, taking over Spain, Austria, and HRE. Two year later, however, Charles V quit his position as Archduke of Austria and allowed Ferdinand I to take over. Since Charles V focused his energy in Spain and didn’t rule Austria personally since then, it did not count as a personal union, and therefore Roderich and Antonio were technically married for only two years.

However, if we include “rulers of same house” as a parameter, Spain x Austria (Habsburg), Spain x France (Borbon), and Bavaria x Palatinate (Wittelsbach) can be justified.

In this universe,  ~~Roderich sets the standards of matrimony.~~ Only partners of equal power can be considered as “marriage” in the human sense. Using only this parameter, the following people are/were roughly married:

Spain x Austria, France x Spain, Prussia x Brandenburg (the lesser), Great Britain x Hanover (the lesser). Austria is currently “single”.

Please read this article to gain a better understanding of [unequal and morganatic marriages in German Law](http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/g_morganat.htm).

 **Consummation:**  Europeans are super obsessed with “sex in the first night”. If no consummation is performed, people can ask for a divorce. It is supposed to be *special*.

 **Reformation:**  It is one of the very rare “interactions” between Gilbert and Roderich before 17th century. Originally Teutonic Knights were direct subordinate of Holy Roman Empire. Since 1524, Martin Luther had been encouraging the ruler of Teutonic Prussia to convert into Protestantism because the Order’s structure was anachronistic, and Prussia lacked the military power to defend themselves from outside threats. In 1525, Albert (the ruler) converted into Protestantism, and turned the territory into a secular fief under Polish lordship.

Prussia was the first state ever in Europe to break away from the Empire and converted, and it started a trend for other states to follow its example. The Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope grew very angry at the conversion and objected to the Prussian homage. Since the Reformation severely weakened the Catholic Holy Roman Empire (for example, it was getting more difficult for the Empire to call to arms for help due to religious reasons), Heinrich hated Gilbert badly ever since. Roderich hated Gilbert initially too, but later he understood that the conversion was logical for strategic and survival reasons. Still, the religious difference is there, and while Roderich tolerates it, he doesn’t accept it.

 **Bribery:**  The House of Austria absolutely did not want to see a marriage occurring between Prussia and Great Britain. They still wanted to have influence over Prussia. Therefore Seckendorff, the imperial ambassador in Berlin, bribed the Prussian minister of state, Grumbkow, to spread bad rumours about the English in the court. As a result, Frederick William I the papa considered the other candidates, and Little Fritz had to give up.

**\- Chapter 3**

**Delayed wedding:**  The wedding was scheduled on February 2, 1733 originally. However, the news of August II of Saxony’s death on February 1 shocked the entire Europe, and for political reasons Frederick William the Papa decided to delay the wedding for four months.

 **Little Fritz and his marriage:**  Yes, all the exchanges between Little Fritz and Gilbert are derived from letters between Little Fritz and his ministers. Little prince wrote in his letters once that he would rather marry a greatest whore than Elisabeth Christine. He really hated how stupid (or unintelligent) she was, and he disliked her so much that he didn’t want to live with her  _at all_. He would rather marry “the greatest whore in Berlin than a bigot”, and he sounded so devastated by the marriage that he mentioned suicide with a pistol. The only modified part was that Grumbkow (the minister of state who got bribed) was the actual person who said he did not want to have his head cut off for helping Little Fritz to stop the marriage. Assuming Gilbert didn’t know his minister of state said this before, it is historically logical.

 **Room of Segregation:**  A cute headcanon of mine. Part of my goal in the fic is to create a feeling that these nation-tans really live in the world that we are living in by hiding. To achieve that purpose, as well as following the Hetalia canon of “world meeting”, the “Room of Segregation” is developed to suit the needs. Did I tell you that people, even men, can be really gossipy when they don’t have defined duties to do?

 **Lack of females:**  All the names I mentioned here are people who are kingdoms (but subjugated under a larger power like Austria) or sub-countries (they were merely provinces and they did not have sovereignty). Ukraine, Belarus, and Belgium, the modern girls in Hetalia, weren’t even countries back then. Liechtenstein was a principality originated from Austria (and still has a palace in Austria nowadays). Lorraine (I assume it is a girl) was being threatened by France and was about to marry Austria.

If you count former Brittany, Burgundy, Berry, Bar, and Anjou as girls (and still alive) (and wtf France,  ~~you really love the Bs huh!?~~ ), it becomes rather evident that Francis, Roderich, and Ivan were the ones keeping all the girls behind the scene. Of course, my theory is that girls didn’t get much power during that time period, hence their lower status among nations.  ~~Trust me, I am a feminist and a FrUker.~~

 **Konrad:**  Brandenburg. He kind of knew what was going on with his soulmate Gilbert. Being the underling of HRE, he is more accustomed to social situation than Gilbert is.

 **French sentences:**  Those are actual quotes from French books published in 17th century (1600s), so they aren’t exactly modern French. They aren’t gibberish either; the opening French diplomatic sentences are from a book on European economy centering in Amsterdam, and the ending French diplomatic sentences are from a French book on Austrian history. Let me go dip up the book again for their titles…

 **Gossip:**  Topics of interest are Unequal Marriages in German Law, marriages outside princes of Holy Roman Empire, German young noble’s Grand Tour (to Italy), relations of Great Britain to Holy Roman Empire, Bourbon Spain, Saxony-Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Spanish interests to reclaim Southern Italy, etc. As to Francis asking why Roderich hid his fine ladies – he was mostly referring to Lorraine, a little state in between French and Austrian border. Once Austria married Lorraine, Lorraine became part of Austria, and the new border created severe security threat to France that he could not neglect. Of course, he would love to see other girls around too. France was known for having too many royal mistresses.

 **Human wedding:**  It was a description Wilhelmine wrote in her account for the Prussian wedding. Regardless of bad press, the wedding proceeded just like another human wedding. Wilhelmine was Frederick’s elder sister, by the way.

 **Praga:**  It is a little town across the river that was not corporated into Warsaw until late 18th century. It was also around this area where Warsaw got bombed during Second Northern War and the Great Northern War. Gilbert was once a Polish fief so he had to perform homage here, and he was also here during the Great Northern War bombing, therefore he knew the streets way too well to his dismay.

 **War of Polish Succession:**  Seriously, it was a war where Great Powers basically ignored Poland’s own interest by maximising their own. France mainly wanted to check the power of Austria expanding influence in Western Europe (Lorraine in particular), and Austria wanted to maintain its power.  _Spain got dragged along as he always had been_ , and Russia joined in  ~~because he loved his senpai~~  because of his interest in Livonia.

 **Russian camp:**  On September 1433, France basically declared ~~je t’aime~~  his support for his pro-French dude by getting him elected with 12,000 delegates on September 12. Russia wasn’t cool about it, so a month later he basically got 30K troops (already in Poland) and marched into Praga to protect a delegation of 3000 people. And then those 3K people elected August III (Saxony guy) as king on October 5.  ~~What a show off.~~  Five days later, France declared war on Austria and Saxony ~~(not on Rosia kouhai, senpai anata yasashii hito)~~.

 **Russian smile:**   ~~He is up to no good.~~  In Hetalia canon, Ivan always smiles. Yet in reality, smiling in Russia has been considered an insincere gesture if done too frequently. Smiles are only reserved for individuals people truly love, and smiling too much means you are really silly and stupid. Go look up “Why Russians Don’t Smile” for more details.

During this era, Russia attempted to westernise  ~~(yay Furansu senpai)~~ , and one of the western gestures for politeness is a good smile. Of course, Ivan tried to present how sincere he was by smiling all the time, but to someone like Austria and Prussia who knew the Slavic people very well, it felt really off… Not to mention Ivan’s smile was such a big fail really creepy.

 **Prussian uniform:**  Frederick William the Papa was the guy who started the trend of wearing military uniform in the court. Look at the rulers of other countries – they don’t walk around in military uniform all the time in their portraits. The militaristic side of Prussia was often ridiculed (and looked down upon) by the Great Powers behind the scene.

 **Secret deal with Adalbert:**  This goes back to  _the Treaty of Three Black Eagles (1732)_. They knew Polish succession was going to happen soon, so back in 1732 they signed a treaty promising that they would support the House of Portugal to claim the Polish throne, and they would oppose any pro-French candidate no matter what. However, the problem was that the Polish Sejm later decided to forbid all foreigners from being candidates, so there was only the pro-French Polish guy left.

Portugal kind of quit itself already, and Saxony had better claim than Portugal. Plus Saxony was willing to make sacrifice to make sure he got powerful allies, so he successfully got Russia and Austria on his side. Originally he wanted Prussia’s help because he was his immediate neighbour, but Prusia demanded a bit too much, so Saxony simply gave up asking him for help.

 **Allowing Leszczyński to pass through:**  Leszczynski was the pro-French dude. If Prussia didn’t let that pro-French dude pass through his land in July, it would have taken him longer to get to Poland to get the French controlled election going. Prussia’s intention on this is unclear, which works in my advantage.

 **Ten thousand men:**  In 1726, Prussia and Austria (technically HRE) signed a treaty saying that Prussia would provide 10,000 soldiers to  _“protect the integrity of the emperor’s land”_. On top of that, the emperor did have the power to call the German princes to arms, but the empire was weak and people didn’t follow much anymore. Therefore, the previous treaty was more bounding than the call to arms. Prussia tried to get away from providing troops by saying that it was Austria’s problem, not the empire, so it did not fulfill the treaty’s requirement. _What a bad excuse, Prussia… You and your foreign diplomacy._

 **Direction confrontation:**  Both of them haven’t had many direct diplomatic conflicts with each other yet since the establishment of their romance (1660), therefore they weren’t sure how to deal with the anger.

 **Homosexuality (Man-Manly love) and Religion:**  This is just a snapshot, but it will get more intense later on, especially on Roderich’s side. Gilbert was getting less and less religious as time passed by. A bit out of the time frame, but Prussia was earlier than Austria to end death sentence for sodomy (I need to go doublecheck the dates though).

 **Familiarity:**  Ivan was trying to say that Poland was accustomed to Saxony, so Feliks would prefer a life with Adalbert again. ~~(I kind of start shipping SaxPol lately but to be honest, I like BavSax better)~~  Of course there are more implication than that, but I will leave that to your imagination. 


	6. Character List

**-Nation / State / Country (as of 1740)-**

Arthur <=> Kingdom of Great Britain  
Ian <=> Kingdom of Ireland  
François <=> Kingdom of France  
Antonio <=> Kingdom of Spain  
Gabriel <=> Kingdom of Portugal  
Annabel <=> Austrian Netherlands (Belgium)  
Willem <=> Republic of the Seven United Netherlands

Heinrich <=> Holy Roman Empire  
Roderich <=> Archduchy of Austria  
Gi(si)lbert <=> Kingdom of Prussia  
Basch <=> Swiss Confederation

Konrad <=> Electorate of Brandenburg  
Adalbert <=> Electorate of Saxony  
Theoderich <=> Electorate of Bavaria  
Herbert <=> Electorate of Hanover  
Martinus <=> Electorate of Mainz  
Titus <=> Electorate of Trier   
Cornelius <=> Electorate of Cologne 

Aloisia <=> Duchy of Lorraine  
Anke <=> Principality of Anhalt  
Hermann <=> Margraviate of Baden  
Eberhard <=> Duchy of Württemberg  
Viktor <=> Landgraviate of Hesse ( **Darmstadt** -Kassel-Marburg-Rheinfels)  
Liselotte <=> Principality of Liechtenstein

Cvetka <=> Duchy of Carniola

Erzsébet <=> Kingdom of Hungary  
Ludmila <=> Kingdom of Bohemia  
Branimir <=> Kingdom of Croatia  
Feliks <=>  **Polish** –Lithuanian Commonwealth  
Tolys <=> Polish– **Lithuanian**  Commonwealth

Ivan <=> Russian Empire (Great Russia)  
Iryna <=> Little Russia  
Natalia <=> White Russia


End file.
